possons



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. J. POSSONS. APPARATUS FOR ELEGTROPLATING.

' Patented Deo. 2, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. J. POSSONS.

APPARATUS FOR ELEGTROPLATING. I

No. 441,892. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

Qwi/tweooeo I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- \VILLIAM .I. POSSONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRUSH ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPLATING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,892, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed October 18, 1889- Serial No. 327,411. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PossoNs, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Electroplating; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for electroplating, the object being to provide a plating apparatus with devices whereby the current used for electroplating will be shunted around an empty clamp (one or more) and the circuit through the filled clamps be maintained intact.

IVith this end in view the invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of my improved clamp when empty. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the clamp after a carbon to be electroplated has been inserted therein. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the combined clamps, base-plate, and contact; and Fig. 4D is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of a section of a plating apparatus provided with my improvement.

A represents a clamp, consisting of a fixed jaw B and pivoted jaw B, each being constructed with a laterally-proj ectin g arm Ct, between which is interposed a spiral spring I),

the latter being held in place by means of the lugs a on the arms a. The spiral spring opcrates to force the arms a apart, and thus close the jaws B B. To the arm a of jaw B is secured, by a screw W, a block C, of hard rubber or other good electrical insulating material. In one surface of the insulating-block is inserted a metal contact 0, which is a good electrical conductor. To the arm a of the movable jaw B is fastened a yielding contact D, which is of such form and construction that when the jaws B B are empty and closed it will bear upon and form a contact with the contact 0, as illustrated in Fig. 1; but when the jaws B B are filled by the insertion therein of a carbon or other article to be plated the yielding contact will be moved away from contact 0 and rest upon the block C of insulating material, as shown in Fig. 2.

Clamp A is provided at its upper end with a stud C, which fits within a socket D, formed on the base-plate D and is detachably and adjustably secured therein by a setscrew d. Base-plate D is constructed with two depending lugs E, between which are pivoted the contact-jaws F F. The lower ends of the jaws F F are forced into engagement by means of a spiral spring G inserted between their upwardly-projecting arms g g.

In Fig. 4 I have represented four platingjars H arranged in a row. While this is a sufficient number for the purpose of explaining the invention, I may state that in practice a number of rows of jars, each row consisting of any desired number of jars, are arranged in a single tank, and all of the jars are connected in series in an electric circuit, so that the jars are traversed successively by the current. Each one of the jars II has a cylindrical copper anode I inserted therein. Each anode I is connected by a conductor h with a contact i, fastened and insulated from the upper edge of a partition '6', located between every adjacent jar.

Clamps A are electrically connected in the following manner: The clamp at one end of the series is provided with a binding-post K, to which is fastened one end of a conductor L, the opposite end of which is electrically connected with the contact 0. This same clamp A is electrically connected by a. conductor L with the contact 0 of the next succeeding clamp.

Having described the construction of parts, I will now briefly explain the operation and advantages of my improvement.

The clamp-bar O, with a series of electriclight carbons or other articles to be plated suspended therefrom, on being lowered operates to simultaneously lower each carbon into its plating-jar, the parts being so arranged that each carbon will be located centrally, or practically so, within its cylindrical copper anode. Current enters from the hinding-post N, flowing through the conductor ICO 71. to the anode I, and from thence through the bath n to the carbon A and from thence to the clamp A, base-plate D contact-jaws F F, stationary contact '1', and through the conductor h, leading to the next SllCCCOtlll'lg' jar. In this way the current traverses the jars in succession, the carbons constituting part of the circuit.

In electroplating electric-light carbons by my improved process and apparatus, which form the subject-matter of separate applications for patents, filed October 17, 1880, Serial No. 327,294, any desired number of clampbars 0 are employed. For instance, twenty clam p-bars (more or less) may be used in a sin gle apparatus. These clamp-bars are detachably mounted on aframe so constructed that it may be rolled onto the vertically-adj ustable frame of a charging apparatus, and after the clamps have been automatically and simultaneously charged or filled with carbons the frame supporting the clamp-bars is rolled or moved over onto the vertically-adjustable frame of the plating apparatus, and which frame 011 being lowered causes all of the carbons to be simultaneously inserted in their plating-jars. Each clamp-bar O has attached thereto any desired number of clamps. For instance, thirty clamps (more or less) maybe attached to each clamp-bar. Assuming that the maximum number of clamp bars and clamps above specified are employed in a single apparatus, it will be soon that the latter will have a capacity for electroplating six hundred carbons simultaneously. Unless some provision were made for short-circuiting an empty clamp much trouble and annoyance would result, because in automatically filling the clamps it not infrequently happens that one or more of them will fail to receive or grasp a carbon, and in the absence of any sh0rt-circuiting device it would be neceesary for the workman to manually charge such empty clamps before or after lowering the carbons into their plating-jars, because it this were not done the circuit would be broken at the empty clamp or clamps, and hence no current could [low through the plating apparatus; but considerable delay and consequent expense would be involved in manually charging one or more of the empty clamps, as they could only be discovered after a careful examination, and when discovered might not be accessible, excepting special provision were made in the construction and adjustment of the support ing-t'rames. By my improvement all such trouble and expense is obviated, because if one or more clamps fail to be charged, or should one or more of the carbons become accidentally detached from their clamps while being lowered, or after they have lowered into the jaws, such empty clamps will be shortcircuited and the current will continue to How through the remaining carbons of the series. \Vheu the clamp is empty, a closed circuit is formed around it, the current flowing through the conductor L, fixed contact 0, yielding contact D, clamping-jaws A, baseplate D and from the latter through the contact-jaws F F, stationary contact 1', and conductor 7L to the anode of the next succeeding jar. \Vhcn a carbon is inserted in the clamp, the movable jawis actuated and the yielding contact I) is thrown out of engagement with the contact 0, thereby opening the short circuit and causing the current to flow from the base-plate D and through the contact-jaws F F, stationary contact 2', conductor h to the anode, and through the bath in the jaw to the carbon, and from thence through the clamp, and by a similar path to the next succeeding carbon.

In Fig. -l I have represented the carbon I3 as being detached from its clamp, and hence this jar will be short-circu-ited in the manner hereinbefore described and the current caused to traverse all the remaining jars of the series. Hence by the employment of my improvement any number of clamps may be simultaneously charged or tilled with carbons and the latter lowered into jars and plated in series without stopping to examine the clamps or to manually charge the empty ones, as the circuit will be maintained intact whether all or only a portion of the clamps are filled.

I do not restrict my improvement to the plating of electric-light carbons, as it may be used in plating other articles; nor do I limit the invention to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, as it is evident they might be varied in many particulars without departing from the invention.

Having fully described my invcntiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A clamp for electroplating, provided with contacts for opening and closing an elec tric circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the jaws of a clamp for-electroplating, of two electrical contacts and a spring for moving the contacts into engagement, substantially as set forth.

3. The combinatiomwith the jaws of a clamp for electroplating, of two electrical contacts constructed and arranged to be separated when the jaws are separated for the insertion of the article to be clamped and plated, substantially as set forth.

at. The combination, with a number of clamps, each provided with electrical contacts adapted to be separated when the clamps are filled or charged, of electrical conductors for connecting the clamps in series, substan tially as set forth.

The combination, with two or more platin g j ars and anodes and a contact electrically connected with each anode, of a series of clamps for holding the article to be electroplated, each elamp being provided with electrical contacts adapted to be operated and closed by the movement of the clamp-jaws, and conductors located between the'clamps to be separated in the filling of the clamps,

and conductors and separate contacts Wherex 5 by the articles to be plated will be connected in series and the empty clamps will be shunted from the circuit, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- :0 ing witnesses.

\VILLIAM J. POSSONS.

Witnesses:

L. W. BRADLEY, V. F. SAYLE. 

